An End Is a Beginning
by D.C. Sally
Summary: "Long ago, we weren't always countries. No... We were as human as we could be. That. That is what makes us who we became." A tale of how the countries came to be. Starting from the beginning of an end... *Warning: Death, Violence, Blood*


**This chapter is considered "Safe For Work."**

*****Warnings: Violence, Death, Blood*****

*****Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. All but the following characters in this chapter are mine not- Brianna, Remus.*****

* * *

"Romulus!"

A man with caramel skin and dark locks turned his head curiously, a grin on his face. He watched as the one who called him heaved himself tiredly up the rocky hill. The caller dragged himself over to Romulus, leaning down on his knees and breathing heavily. Romulus just chuckled and patted him on the head, running his fingers through the similar locks.

"Remus, you have to work if you want to be my partner! I'm not letting anyone drag me down. Even my own brother."

Remus glared up at him with a humored smile on his face and a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I think I should be telling that to YOU. Always flirting when we should be getting work done." He straightened and leaned back, sighing happily when his back let out a small crack. "Ahhh, that felt good."

Romulus just laughed again before he turning. His gaze returned to its original sight. "Remus." Romulus placed his hand on his brother's back and pointed. "Look. Remus, look."

Up on their hill, the brothers saw their kingdom. Seven hills, including the one they were standing on, all belonging to them. The land did not lack lush vegetation nor beauty. Trees stood proud on the hills and birds settled calmly in their branches. A ram could be seen scaling up one of the rocky hills followed by several others. To their left, a long winding river snaked along.

This land was perfect.

Remus felt happiness building up in his throat and he started to laugh, patting his brother on the back. "It's all ours, Romulus! It's all ours!"

Romulus joined in the cheerful banter and pushed his brother playfully. "Yes. It is. Now let's get back to why we're really here."

An annoyed whine came from Remus. "But frater, I just got here!"

The other laughed. "Then you should have gotten here faster!"

Remus let out a low growl before tackling his brother to the ground. He laughed playfully as he tried to pin Romulus but his brother fought back just as hard. Remus and Romulus rolled about, each trying to stay on top and prove to be the dominant one. They sent piece of soil flew about them and soon they were both covered in dirt. Both laughed happily and the only difference one could make between them were their eyes; Remus with clever and mischievous emerald orbs while Romulus sported comforting earthy eyes which gave a reassuring and playful gaze.

After a toiling fight, one was pinned to the ground. Both were laughing and panting heavily. Romulus looked at his brother, a grin on his face.

"You cheating scoundrel." Remus laughed at the accusation. "Trying to pull our old wrestling game on me. The one Mater taught us. Well, who's the alpha lupus now?" Romulus leaned forward, blowing onto Remus's face. "I win."

Remus struggled a bit before Romulus let him up, a pout on his face. "Fine, fine. Just get off." Remus sat up and wiped off the dirt covering his toga before placing his hands behind him and turning towards his brother. "Romulus, how come you always win?"

Romulus gave a hearty laugh. "Because you're not gaining anything by having it given to you! You have to work hard!" He helped Remus up. "And there's no way I'd give up so easily to my younger brother." A hand smacked Romulus from behind and he rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"It's not certain who was the younger brother! Remember? So stop calling me that..." Remus looked away angrily before sighing. "Whatever. Why are we on this hill anyway?" He pointed over to a hill visible from their current location. "I thought we were going to settle on that one over there?"

Romulus looked over at Remus, an amused look on his face. "Because! I've decided that we should start building here!"

The other looked at him confused before anger flashed in. "Romulus! We decided on the hill over there!"

Romulus continued smiling. "But don't you see the view from here? It's gorgeous!"

"I bet it's just as good over there." Remus's jaw clenched tightly.

Romulus waved his hand at his brother, not turning away from the view. Remus, already ashamed from his lost, settled for a growl and turned away. "I'm not changing the plans. Do you understand?" Romulus didn't respond. Remus left in anger, his green eyes flashing with rage. His brother had always gotten the better. But now, it was his turn. It was time for Remus.

* * *

"Romulus!"

A tired man wiped his wet curls out of his face and looked behind him. His brother, Remus, was stalking towards him angrily, seeing the group of workers on the now named Palatine Hill.

"Damn it, Romulus!" Romulus sighed as Remus continued stomping forward. His green eyes glaring menacingly at the other. "Romulus, when were auguries* concerned with deciding the location?"

The tired man sighed and let down his shovel before striding over to his brother. His brown orbs looked at him with as much comfort as he could give. "The King heard of my interest in this hill and sent several priests to check on it. Apparently, they say the Gods favor this one over the other."

Remus's eyes flared. "Why was I not informed of this until now? I had seen plenty of auguries that my hill was approved by the gods!" Romulus just shook his head.

"It's not good for a grown man to be acting so sorely at a loss." He turned and walked away, as if Remus was not there. His party had not even glanced up at the appearance of him. Remus growled low and clenched his fist only to release and clench again. He could feel the blood coursing through his veins like the wolf he was inside. All people were wolves. And they had to prove it.

Remus turned away from his "frater" and off to his own hill. He would make it work. He would show them. He would win.

* * *

"Romulus..."

Remus knelt on the ground, his splintered hands splayed out in front of him. His green eyes once filled with mischief were dull and haunting, filled with something no human should have within them. His toga was ripped and dirtied, far from repair. His hair which was once soft and bouncy had stiffened from sweat and soil.

The party Remus had believed to be his own had left him for his brother who had been doing bountifully on the Palantine. There had been no trouble whatsoever with the construction while Remus had had to go through hardship after hardship just to set up a couple homes. Today, Romulus was celebrating the completion of the wall. The design had been planned out by Remus. The materials gathered by Remus. The workers chosen by Remus. The hours of planning and sleepless nights toiling endlessly given by Remus. The glory still credited to Romulus.

The man's eyes glowed as he realized he would never win. He could never win with Romulus. There was nothing to gain by trying to beat Romulus but pain and shame and regret. It must end, he thought as his dead gaze looked to the materials in front of him. It must end.

His fury had reached its peek and took control of his whole body. He went to his house, one of the few that remained standing, and tossed his belongings haphazardly on the floor. Remus didn't care. He had nothing left. His hands shot out for his blade and did not even hesitate a second as he walked out of his house, not caring to close the door behind him. It wouldn't matter.

He ran.

Remus, now a lupus of his former self, took stride after stride towards the Palantine hill, not caring for the bruises and cuts on his legs or the strain his muscles were under. His arms were in the same condition and his health in general made him seem like a ghost. But he was not a ghost. He was a white lupus, ready to strike down on his enemy and claim his prize.

The wolf, laying eyes upon the erected walls, dashed to a greater degree. He did not think for he could not. The wolf was a man with blind rage and as a wolf would do he acted on instinct.

That instinct was kill.

The wolf jumped. He clambered onto the wall, slipping slightly only to fight to the top. He used the crevices to pull himself up and succeeded in getting to the top. As it looked down, people cried out in fright of the inhuman figure. Its hand clenched the sword even tighter.

"Remus!" It's eyes directed at the approaching figure. The man was dressed in a fine toga, his hair as soft as ever and his stride carefree. How the creature loathed the man.

Romulus waved up to his brother, smiling in a joking way. "Remus, what ever are you doing up there? Come, join us!"

The lupus stretched its head upward and howled. "Never!" It then leaped down from the wall and landed unsteadily on its feet before collapsing. Romulus, alarmed, ran over to his brother.

"Remus! Stop acting like a mad man! Why-"

He stepped back just in time. Remus had swung his sword out just as Romulus had approached him. The wolf held its hunting gaze on him. Romulus looked at him in confusion. "Remus?" The name sounded so foreign to his mouth now that he saw what had become of his brother. The creature was not Remus. It was a spawn of the Underworld itself. Romulus backed away, shaking his head slightly. "...No..."

The wolf jumped up and struck at Romulus, only to miss again as he pivoted. A group of settlers had finally noticed what was going and formed a large, loose circle around the two. Several of the men approached but Romulus shouted at them. "No!" He screamed, "Stay back! I'll handle this!"

Romulus returned his concentrated orbs back at the wolf. It pounced towards him again and he dodged. The creature reacted quicker this time, catching the pattern of Romulus's movements and slashing at his right shin. He stumbled backwards and fell on his rear, rolling away when the creature stabbed where he had lain only moments before.

"Romulus!" The crowd cheered. One man took a sword from his belt and threw it towards the center. The weapon landed only a few feet from where Romulus had landed. He grabbed the hilt and struggled upward. His hardened eyes directed at the creature who stood across from him. Green eyes. The ones that used to belong to his brother that now belonged to this _thing_.

Each panted silently, waiting for the next move. The wolf straightened and let his arm fall to his side. It let out a grin.

_Go ahead._ Romulus could feel its thoughts oozing from its figure. _Come kill me. Prove to me who really is the alpha lupus._

When Romulus did not move, the creature's grin faded to a scowl and glared at him.

**_Do it._**

Romulus held his ground. The creature, in rage, ran towards him, howling. Its raised sword was ready to maim and at collision the creature would finally win.

The sword made no contact.

The creature felt the sword drop from his hands and clatter to the ground. Green eyes looked down at the man who had just stabbed him through the middle. The man was looking downward, panting. His face, the creature imagined, must have a smile. He had won yet again.

Romulus pulled his sword out and watched as the creature fell to the ground. The crowd cheered and praised the ruler of the city for his actions but still kept a safe distance. Romulus knelt to the side of the creature, looking at its face curiously. The insanity had left its features and it now looked like what it was originally was.

"Remus." He looked up at Romulus, an amused glint in his eyes as if he had just played a clever trick.

"Romulus," the other responded, a grin slowly coming onto his features. Remus coughed to the side, blood splattering on the ground. He looked back up. "It looks like you won again."

"Remus..." The survivor placed his hand on his brother's head, patting down the dirt covered curls. "Remus, why?" Those were the only two words he could say.

Remus laughed only to cough up more blood. Any moment now, he would not be of this world. "Romulus, Romulus, Romulus." He paused and examined his brother's features. "Why so glum looking? You won again. Winning is always so fun, right?" Remus saw the pained look his brother carried. The brother lowered his forehead onto Remus's.

"Remus... There never had to be only one winner."

"But you have to do anything to win. That's what happened tonight, right?" Remus started coughing violently, splattering some blood on his brother. He took a couple struggling breaths before continuing. "Romulus. Forget about me." Remus gave a big grin and his eyes were as lively as when they first got to the Palantine Hill. Romulus could see his old brother, dying in front of him. "Don't go down without a fight. And never... let anything get in your way." Remus then took his last breath.

The light faded from his eyes and his body stopped shaking. The smile had somehow found a way to stay on his lips as he died. Slowly, Romulus shut his brother's eyes and rose. His face and stance were hardened and he looked at all his citizens.

"So perish," he acclaimed in a powerful voice only the Gods could have given him, "Every one hereafter, who shall leap over my walls." Thus Romulus obtained possession of supreme power for himself alone. The city, when built, was called after the name of its founder.

But they never said he liked it.

* * *

A man sat quietly on the city wall, watching the lowering sun. It's afterglow gave painful memories of times long past and never to be relived. Any minute, Helios's chariot would enter the dark world of Hades below. It would be as if it was never there with its warmth and comfort. Just like Remus.

Romulus ran a hand through his unruly hair, sighing. He had never stopped thinking about his brother. How could one? Romulus had just killed him with his own hands. With these hands, he drove the sword straight into the other's stomach. No. He had drove the sword into a creature of madness. But Romulus killed Remus instead.

He would have left for a walk like he usually did when he began thinking about Remus but something caught his eye. Romulus turned his head and noticed a hooded figure standing only a few feet from him, watching. He wasn't used to people watching him but he smiled and waved.

"Salve, stranger!" Romulus put on a smile, the best mask he had found to cope with his brother's death. No one saw through it which is made the mask so perfect. The man patted the seat to the right of him. "Please, join me!"

The stranger stood where he (at least Romulus thought it was a he) was and instead took off his hood. The hood revealed a female with shoulder length blonde hair and pasty skin. Nonetheless, a woman. She did not smile but nodded her head politely.

Romulus rose and walked over to her, taking her hand. "Oh! If I had known you were a lady, I would have been _much_ kinder." He kissed her hand. "Please, excuse my behavior."

The lady blushed a bit and took her hand back. "T-That's not why I wished to talk to you." Romulus grinned and stood up straight.

"Ah, such a pleasure it is for such a fair maiden to speak with me." He took her hand again and sat her next to him on the wall. "Please, tell me of which you wish to talk about. Your heavenly voice is blessing my ears, dear goddess."

Her voice was indeed rhythmic. It had a certain feel one felt when listening as if she were about to sing. Romulus hung on her every word as if she were a siren. Had she commanded to have him jump off the wall that moment, he would.

Gladly, she had... Somewhat good intentions.

The lady, a light red adorning her features, had an elvish look about her. Her face was heart shaped and her ears were visible from the side of her head. Her hair was a dirty blonde and flowing gently around her head like sun rays drizzling downward. She had an enchanting figure, as if she really were a goddess.

The lady looked out to the horizon before turning her gaze to Romulus again. She only concluded to blush when she realized he was staring. The lady looked to the hands in her lap before looking up a little more seriously.

"I-I'm Brianna," she finally stuttered.

Romulus gave her a flirty smile. "Well, hello, Brianna. I am Romulus." He waved his hand towards the city. "Founder of the destined city of Rome!" Romulus came a bit closer, taking her hand again. "Do tell me, what brings such an alluring woman to this lonesome wall?"

Brianna sighed. "I've came for the festival." Romulus's smile collapsed for a second before coming back.

"Ah, the festival of Lemuria! It will be a great tradition when we defeat many enemies. We wouldn't want our enemies trying to escape from Hades for revenge, correct?"

Brianna kept her serious face. "I've heard differently?"

Romulus raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"

"They say you're doing this for Remus."

His face hardened. "Don't say that name." Brianna was startled by his sudden change of mood but did not turn away. She stared at him, a sad look on her face. When Romulus realized what he had done, he sighed. There was no use trying to hide it.

"Why do you want to bring this up?"

Brianna intertwined her fingers and placed them in her lap. "I want to know why you did it. What drove you to kill your brother."

Romulus gnawed the inside of this mouth softly, looking out to the horizon. His face was tired, as if he had lived years longer than he had. Brianna watched him carefully.

"Do you want to know what my brother told me as he died?" There was a pause but Brianna knew the question was rhetorical. "He said you had to do everything to win, at all cost. So I should just forget about him." The man looked at her with a sad smile. "I killed my brother for this kingdom. Once I've started, I can't stop. There are some things you must sacrifice to be a leader. No matter how much it pains you."

Brianna examined his features for a moment. "It looks like it's killing you."

Romulus started laughing heartily. "Yes, yes it is! But as Romulus, leader of Rome, it would not be wise to show such weakness in its beginning!"

The lady then took his hand. He looked at her in surprise as she held it between both of her hands. "What would you do," she started, "If we went back to that time before Remus died?"

Romulus nearly fell off the wall. "You can change back time!?" She didn't answer and Romulus realized it was a theoretical question. His face fell. "Oh... Then it doesn't matter." He looked out to the sun which was minutes to fully setting. "As much as it pains me to say it, I wouldn't change what I did. It doesn't help to change the past." He laughed dryly. "Besides, that's a wimpy move."

He waved his hand out to the other hills and lands beyond. A glint shown in his eyes, like a flare had been lit. His eyes shown with excitement."What I should be doing is going out there and taking charge. I won't let anyone else do what I did and lose everything. I'd make everyone a big family." He put his hand down and sighed happily. "That would be great, wouldn't it?"

Brianna looked at him curiously. "What if... I could make that happen?"

Romulus chuckled again. "Now that, I know that's a joke. Only the gods above could do something like that." He felt her take his hand again. Romulus looked up.

"As you can see," Brianna said solemnly, "I am dead serious." Her eyes held a steady gaze and that's when Romulus finally noticed their color.

Emerald green, like blades of grass in an untamed forest. Green with so much potential. Green, the eyes of Remus. Romulus then realized his brother was giving him another chance to prove himself.

Romulus slowly nodded. "Yes." He spoke softly and his eyes lit up. "Yes!" He shouted before rising and lifting Brianna up in the air.

She gasped in surprise and blushed, smacking his back repeatedly. "L-Let me down, you git! Let! Me! Down!" Romulus continued laughing and spinning her around.

"Brianna, you beautiful woman you have made me the happiness man alive!" He lowered her to his level but did not take his arms out from her waist. Instead, Romulus smiled enthusiastically at her before leaning in and kissing her full on the mouth.

Brianna stiffened at the contact but remained completely still as Romulus slowly pulled away. He gave her a small smile only to receive a smack to the face. Romulus stumbled backwards to see Brianna glaring at him, completely red.

"I-Idiot!" She stuttered. "You don't just kiss a woman like that out of nowhere!" Brianna turned away and looked like she was about to walk off. She stood there. "I'll be back when the time comes. I won't forget what I promised." Brianna pulled up her hood and walked away, leaving a stunned Romulus looking after her.

"It was just a kiss..." He muttered as he rubbed his cheek. Despite the sharp pain, a small smile came on his face. Finally, something was going his way.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**

**_I did a bit of research on this over the Internet (AND NO I DID NOT USE WIKIPEDIA) so as to try to keep this as close to history as possible. Of course, this isn't going to be completely historical either. This chapter was based off of the myth of Romulus and Remus and several .edu sites that helped out with geography._**

**_*augury: omens_**


End file.
